Military gear aficionados are well aware that the push to develop a new, plastic helmet better able to withstand 7.62mm ammunition has faced several snags in the last year, leaving the Marine Corps and Army in a holding pattern.
Less known: It isn't just the development of the Enhanced Combat Helmet that's throwing a wrench in the Corps' plans. The Corps also is working around lengthy acquisition delays for its existing domepiece, the Lightweight Helmet.
As noted in this story Marine Corps Times broke last week, the problems are twofold, and the latest snag is that BAE Systems has twice failed first-article testing after receiving a $28 million contract to produce up to 120,000 Marine helmets last year.
That's right: BAE Systems is struggling to develop helmets that the Corps first fielded early in the Iraq war. BAE Systems spokeswoman Kelly Golden said the company "is working closely with the Corps and DLA to ensure it provides the helmets Marines need and deserve."
Photo: Cpl. Brandon Owensby, a radio operator with Jump Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, wears the Lightweight Helmet in Nawa, Afghanistan, last year. (Photo by Sgt. Mark Fayloga)
